News

Dog could be destroyed after ‘very nasty bite’

Published

7 years ago

October 11, 2017

A WOMAN from Pembroke appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (Oct 11) to admit a charge of owning a dog which was dangerously out of control in July 2017, leading to two people she had known for many years getting injured.

Linzi Marie James of Whitehall Avenue conceded that it was her Jack Russell cross, called Toddy, which injured her two neighbours contrary to section 31 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

The offence carries a sentence of up to six months in jail, and the bench have said they will consider all options for sentence.

Prosecutor Vaughan Prichard Jones told the court that the incident happened at around midday. Both neighbours were at home with their husbands in the small cul-de-sac where they live, and both ladies became aware independently that there were three dogs running around outside.

Mr Pritchard Jones said: “The first victim was concerned that the dogs may run into her garage so she went out the front of the house. One of the dogs went in and she tried to shoo the dog. The dog came for her, teeth showing, she felt contact, the dog grazed her but had not bit her. In her attempt to get away, she fell backwards and this caused a fracture in her shoulder.

“The dog then ran across the road and the other neighbour says she then felt a bite to her leg. I have to say it was a very nasty bite. The dog took a chunk out of her leg. She had to have a skin graft. She says that since the operation her mobility has been severely restricted. She says that three weeks after the incident she can only walk a short distance and cannot drive: ‘I have to keep my leg elevated, if not it just aches’. She says that looking back at it all, ‘I didn’t have a fear of dogs but now I do’.”

“My main fear is what could have happened had it been a child,” one of the complainants said in their Victim Impact Statement.

James was interviewed about how the dog got out and she said a friend of hers put a stack of pallets near her fence, which she thought the dogs used to jump the fence.

It was the one dog, the Jack Russell, responsible on both occasions, the court heard.

“The prosecution seeks a destruction order for the dog due to the nature of the injuries. My friend will oppose that and we have no objection for the case being adjourned for that to be decided at a later hearing,” added Mr Pritchard Jones.

Katie Hanson, defending, said that her client was devastated by what had happened.

“She is so remorseful. The complainants are neighbours who she has known her entire life. She has pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. We will be asking for an adjournment. She has looked after the dog for a long time, he is 10 years of age. She is a lady who has a number of dogs. She has fostered dogs and kittens for rescue centres. Nothing of this nature has ever happened before. The night this happened the fence was extended in the front garden to make sure that this will never happen again. There has been no problem with the dog since this happened in July,” Ms Hanson continued.

“We have instructed a behaviourist to help us to oppose the destruction of the dog, and we will provide evidence at the next hearing. I have not received the complainant’s statements – we haven’t received that yet so there is still work to be done. I think it is important we have all the evidence before we can make a decision of this nature.”

At the end of the hearing it was decided the case would be adjourned. The Chair of the bench said: “We are happy to put the matter back, and we need an all options pre-sentence report. We are looking at all sentencing options in this case.”

The case to decide the sentence for Linzi James and the future of her dog, Toddy, will be decided on October 31.

News

Welsh Lib Dems urge First Minister to return dodgy donation

Published

7 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THIS week in the Senedd, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have urged the First Minister to return the £200,000 donation he received from a company linked to environmental crimes.

Speaking to the Senedd on Wednesday, party leader Jane Dodds MS urged FM Vaughan Gething to return money donated to his campaign by Dauson Environmental, a refuse and recycling business owned by David John Neal.

Mr Neal received a 3-month suspended prison sentence in 2013 for illegally dumping waste at a conservation site on the Gwent levels.

His companies Atlantic Recycling and Neal Soil Suppliers were also prosecuted and given fines and costs of £202,000.

Then in 2017, Mr Neal was given another suspended sentence of 18 weeks, with fines and costs of £230,000 after failing to remove the waste.

The Welsh Lib Dems have called on the FM to return the donation, as part of wider calls for a shift away from the influence of “big money” in Welsh politics.

Commenting, the Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Jane Dodds MS said:

“This entire episode has casted a dark shadow upon Welsh democracy and has rightfully led to many questioning the integrity of Vaughan Gething’s leadership campaign and the way our democracy works here in Wales.

Unfortunately for many of us this is hardly surprising, as our political system has been broken for quite some time now.

A system that empowers the elite donor class whilst simultaneously shutting out the voice of the voter is a perversion of democracy itself.

This is why our wider goal must be to remove the influence of ‘big money’ from Welsh politics once and for all.

We cannot have another government that prioritises the interests of its financial benefactors over those of the Welsh people.

We need to take a firm stance in rooting out the influence of cash in Welsh politics, for the sake of our communities we must start prioritising their interests and needs instead of having more self-serving politicians.”

News

Council seeking legal advice to address Withyhedge enforcement

Published

7 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Tom Sinclair

PEMBROKESHIRE County Council says it has sought legal advice and is contemplating legal proceedings against Withyhedge Landfill operators RML, in regards to the ongoing odour issues at the site.

The Council intends to ask the Court for an injunction requiring RML to abate the public nuisance odour arising from the landfill. Failure to comply with the injunction would be contempt of court, which carries a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment and unlimited fine.

Following significant work undertaken by RML the Authority is disappointed that the problem has not been resolved and residents continue to be impacted by the odour.

Working in collaboration with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Public Health Wales (PHW), we fully appreciate that the communities affected cannot tolerate this any longer.

NRW announced that the first set of deadlines for the completion of actions to tackle the ongoing odour issues at Withyhedge Landfill have been met, one week on following the issuing of further enforcement action on 18th April.

This will be closely monitored by NRW to ensure the operator complies with all the actions set out in Notice by 14 May.

It was deemed appropriate to wait until the operator had carried out mitigation to comply with the enforcement requirements by NRW prior to considering this additional action.

To that end, on 26th April 2024, the Council served RML with a letter of claim and invited them to give legally binding undertakings to abate the odour nuisance or face legal proceedings. The Council also asked for disclosure of documents relevant to the proceedings, including records of waste brought in or removed from the landfill.

The Council has given RML until 14th May 2024 to respond to its letter of claim. This aligns with the current deadline set by NRW under its enforcement notice.

Pembrokeshire County Council Chief Executive Will Bramble welcomed the move. He said: “We are extremely disappointed that RML has not delivered the necessary action to stop the completely unacceptable smells from the site.

“We fully support the additional enforcement action being taken by NRW and continue to work closely with them to do all in our power to correct the situation.

“Our intention to ask the Court for an injunction requiring RML to stop the odour nuisance arising from the landfill, is another part of our collaborative approach. The smell from Withyhedge is having a major impact on residents and visitors. This situation has gone on too long and it is unacceptable.”

News

Beautiful, funny and lovely: Family pay tribute to Sian Batchelor

Published

10 hours ago

May 2, 2024

Tom Sinclair

THE family of a woman has paid tribute to a “beautiful, funny, lovely person.”

Sian Batchelor, aged 32, was found on a beach near Pennar, Pembroke Dock on Tuesday evening, April 30^th, 2024.

Her family has issued a statement to say: ‘We are devastated by our loss. Sian was a beautiful, funny, loving person. We will treasure the good times we had with her.

“We would now like time to grieve and would ask to be given privacy in which to do so.”

The circumstances surrounding Sian’s death are being investigated and police would like to hear from anyone with information, sightings of Sian or contact from Sian, between Thursday April 25 to Tuesday April 30.

Police can be contacted either online at: https://bit.ly/DPPContactOnline, by emailing [email protected], or by calling 101. If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech impaired text the non-emergency number on 07811 311 908.

Quote reference: DP-20240430-284